1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to end E-Rate support for library and school hotspot lending programs and school bus Wi-Fi. Not everyone has access to Wi-fi at home because they don't the money to pay for it, especially people on limited incomes. This is the statement by the American Library Association (ALA): “ALA is both disappointed by the FCC’s takebacks and discouraged by the lack of due process, which left no opportunity for staff, patrons and library advocates to give input on the draft order. For years, we have engaged in the rulemaking process with good faith, partnering with the FCC to fulfill their mandate to make reliable, high-quality broadband available nationwide. And today, the Commission openly voted to snatch back the opportunity to offer more Americans, especially in rural areas, the high-speed internet access to do the business of life online – pay bills, make telehealth appointments, fill out school applications – after the library closes.” Even in large cities, supposedly wealth cities, we have people who can't afford to pay for wifi or broadband internet at home. For some, their nearby library branch might not be open when they are home because they work funky schedules. The availability to hotspots to help them with various tasks is so important. Did you know you have to access your social security benefit awards online now? The Social Security offices will not help even if you have an appointment. They won't print the benefits form for retirees and others who have limited income. They send people to the library but if the library is closed and you need to get the benefits form for the next day before the library opens, you need access to the internet. Hotspots help bridge the digital divide, even in a city that is wired all over now. Even if neighborhoods that are thought of as more well to do, there are people who are struggling to pay the bills because they are out of work and they have run out of unemployment and emergency funds if they have any in the first place. Access to the internet is low priority. But for job searching, interviews, telehealth, paying bills, you need access to the internet and a hotspot, even if you have to wait in line with a request, is a lifeline to many. You'd be surprised how many people put hotspots on request as well as Chromebooks with hotspots. And the money provided for access to hotspots in rural areas as well as cities, is not that much. Very little money is saved by cutting the funds. Pass a law restoring it please.